The Growing Band Director 296 Ignite the Fire and Teach Fundamentals - A Career Building Bands with Dave Phillips and Christian Garnes
Sep 11, 2025
Dave Phillips, a retired Ohio band director who rebuilt rural and regional programs over decades. He talks about turning school culture around, teaching fundamentals to transform ensembles, strategies for middle school scheduling and rehearsals, programming wisely, and how adjudication and mentorship shaped his approach.
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Turning A Rural Band Around
- Dave Phillips rebuilt a tiny, rural Kyger Creek band through long hours, instrument swaps, and fundamentals.
- Within three years they progressed from a poor rating to straight ones and state-level success.
Prioritize Fundamentals Daily
- Focus relentlessly on fundamentals: long tones, scales, tuning, and sectionals.
- Encourage private lessons and consistent ear training to make steady, audible improvement.
Mindset Reset Beats Complacency
- At Oak Hill, Dave faced a band that thought it was good but was mediocre, requiring a complete mindset reset.
- He changed culture with blunt feedback, higher expectations, and gradual buy-in until the band excelled.
